nathan@orstcs.UUCP (nathan) (01/26/86)
I bought Niven and Pournelle's "Footfall" awhile back, and
enjoyed it a lot. But that's not what this posting is about.
On the book's cover illustration, to the lower right of the Snout,
the image of BOB appears on a small scrap of paper. This
Bob character is the symbol and nonexistant founder of the
"Church of the SubGenius". Something about the Church appeared
here some years back. Could this mean that Niven, Pournelle, or
the cover artist is somehow involved in the "cult"?
For those who missed the SubGenius material, the Church is a
profit-making corporation, offering religion for those
willing to pay to be told what to think. Church members revere
a disembodied head (smoking a pipe) named Bob, whose motto
(if I recall correctly) is "Slack off". Anyway, this sounds
to me a lot like Niven's kind of goofiness.
If anyone has up-to-date or inside information on the Church of
the SubGenius, I'd be thrilled to see it.
Nathan C. Myers
{tektronix|hp-pcd}!orstcs!nathan | nathan@oregon-statemaa@oasys.UUCP (01/31/86)
<munch, munch, munch> > If anyone has up-to-date or inside information on the Church of > the SubGenius, I'd be thrilled to see it. I found the following on the downtown Boulder mall last summer and have had it posted on my cube wall since. [With the exception of the first line which is in large bold type, the rest is reproduced as accurately as I could render it.] Make Insanity Work For You..... ARE YOU A SCREWED-UP SUBURBANITE WITH SEX,DRUG,OR SOCIAL PROBLEMS?WELL,The Subgenius Foundation MAY NOT HELP MUCH,BUT IT WILL MAKE "u""proud"TO BE INSANE. . . Most Religions Have Had The'grins'Hammered Out Of Them By Easily-Duped Fanatics.The Church Of The Subgenius Is A Bombardment Of Morbid Yuks. . . The Last Holymen In America Today. YES- You May Have Snapped Already From The Information Disease Of The TV Age.Root Out Your False Programming And Mentally Bash It To HELL! For MoreJust Send $1 For DETAILS to : The Church Of The Subgenius P. O.Box 140306 DALLAS,TX 75214 If this is Niven's creation, he's got a truly bizarre sense of humor. (And no, I didn't send them my dollar.)
donn@oracle.UUCP (Kevin Donn) (02/04/86)
> > If anyone has up-to-date or inside information on the Church of > > the SubGenius, I'd be thrilled to see it. Praise "Bob"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Step right this way son... Is your maze all blind alleys? Is your soft brain hardwired? Are you always left clutching the cold chickenwire mother? Is there not nearly enough of some certain 'something' in your life? Sex? Money? Great old movies on T.V.? Imported beer? Power over others? ALL OF THE ABOVE??? The SubGenius Foundation has a name for that nameless something. SLACK. Yes, SLACK! SLACK, the perfect IS-ness! SLACK, that state where you need nothing because you have it all ready! Sound good? You bet! My friend, for only one dollar, less than the price of a pack of cigarettes, you can be on your way to experiencing all the good drugs, weird sex, bizzare prophesies, twisted rituals and riproaring fun you can handle and much more! YES, you can still get in on the ground floor of the SLACK goldmine! Furthermore, you have to give up less of your mind than required by any other strange cult, and at only a fraction of the cost! But wait, there's even more! For a mere twenty dollars you can join the clergy of The Church of the SubGenius, you can be a minister and have your own flock of mindless teenage followers to do your bidding! All this is made possible through the great prophet J.R. "Bob" Dobbs. "Bob" will free you from the petty constraints of so called "civilization". "Bob" will show you how to beat the system. "Bob" will open your eyes to great conspiracy. "Bob" will answer any question. "Bob" will bring SLACK without guilt because you will pay for it with no strings attached! Why don't YOU get in on the ground floor of the world's fastest growing religion while the rates are still low. No time to waste, THE WORLD ENDS TOMORROW AND YOU MAY DIE! "Researching the Public's Fear of the Unknown Since 1953!" The Church of the SubGenius P.O. Box 140306 Dallas, TX 75214